bugaboos

noun

plural of bugaboo
as in dreads
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason doing one's tax returns is a real bugaboo for a lot of people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bugaboos Best Supporting Actress One of Hickey’s bugaboos is the way the supporting races have often been gift-wrapped early, with co-leads like Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldaña and A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin sweeping to victory. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026 Now, for one of their chief bugaboos — a primary culprit for the mediocre record through 32 games. — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2025 James went down a lengthy list of bugaboos that hurt the Chargers, including but not limited to 14 penalties totaling 107 yards, the Giants’ 7-for-15 efficiency on third downs, a lackluster start that featured deficits of 10-0 and 13-3 in the first half and a failure to force a New York turnover. — Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025 Getting the focus right is one of the bugaboos of using a telephoto lens for astrophotography, because the focus on such lenses is touchy and easily gets knocked off kilter. — IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugaboos
  1. dreads
  2. terrors
  3. bugbears
  4. plagues
  5. hobgoblins
  6. enemies
  7. spirits
Noun
  • He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads.
    — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
Definition of dreads
Noun
  • Interestingly enough, facing the terrors of the world head-on is something that Danny mentions to Alice, too.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The woods could be hiding places of witches and sorcerers, disguised as the old and feeble, but capable of summoning wonder and terrors, charms as well as curses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of terrors
Noun
  • This has been one of its main bugbears for years, with several engine types experimented with.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The bugbears of this season — wasting promising chances (though Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce deserves credit for many of those) and some vulnerability to counter-attacks — remained.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of bugbears
Noun
  • Most people go to campgrounds to escape the plagues of modern technology, so try to keep the decibels to a minimum.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The deadliest animal to have ever roamed the earth is not the great white shark, or snakes, or even rats that caused three great plagues in history, decimating the human population at the time.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 July 2026
Definition of plagues
Noun
  • In another fates-or-hobgoblins moment, a discombobulated Washington had started a war.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of hobgoblins
Noun
  • As old enemies and unfinished business resurface, Paul is drawn deeper into a struggle for justice and redemption against a wider network of corruption and abuse of power in contemporary Nigeria.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His father’s political enemies used his problems with crack to try and erode trust in the Biden administration.
    — David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of enemies
Noun
  • The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Directed by Geum Dong-ho, the musical animation follows a singer-songwriter with the supernatural ability to see spirits who joins forces with a quartet of ghosts to form a musical troupe.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of spirits

Browse Nearby Words

bugaboo
bugaboos
bugbear
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Cite this Entry

“Bugaboos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugaboos. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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